Protect your beards, lads!

[Angus]

...If it's sharp, and you've got the right angle, it should just float on top of your skin as you shave.

And NEVER pull the blade horizontally while its touching flesh. Very bad idea....

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

That's half the fun. My beard is multi-coloured. Dark brown by the 'burns, reddish all the way to the middle and grey in the middle. I wish the lighting was better (this was a few years ago too) but you get the idea

Colin, can't really tell the color of the beard, but that is one cutie you have their in your hands. And in a matching kilted skirt as well. How old is she? She looks about 4, right between my 2 daughters.

[Alan H]

My lady asked me to shave mine off.

I did so, came out of the bathroom freshly-shorn, and she looked at me, kissed me, and said...

"Grow it back."

I shaved mine off on a whim about six years ago. I came out into the living room, she took one look at me and burst into tears.

I grew it back.

[Piper]

Ozmeath, unfortunately it takes more than a strop. To actually sharpen you need a very very fine sharpening stone. The strop only hones the blade and cleans it.

Back when I used to shave, the straight razor was my instrument of choice. I tried everything from my grandfather's old twist to open Gillette blue blade razor through injector and disposable styles. Managed to draw blood with all of them. I even managed to pinch myself badly enough with an electric shaver to draw a bit of blood. Other than a couple of minor nicks when I first learned, the cutthroat has never hurt me.
I kept it sharp using a fine Japanese waterstone, about 1200 grit I believe. It looks and feels like a piece of marble. I also occasionally used a black arkansas stone. That was a bit smaller, so it packed better with the reenacting gear. I understand the black arkansas used to be used to sharpen surgical scalpels. I'm not sure where you'd buy a black arkansas these days, but the Japanese waterstones should be available from anyplace that sells high end woodworking tools.
I still break out the old cutthroat twice a year. I lop a couple of inches off the beard in mid May, and again between Christmas and New Year (when I no longer need the "Santa" look". I use the straight razor to trim up the neck line a bit.

[Schultz]

Much to my wife's dismay, all this beard talk has made me feel the need to grow at least the goatee back, the only facial hair I know I can actually grow without looking like I have some sort of skin disease.

She thanks all of you for your support ;)

[Kilted KT]

Much to my wife's dismay, all this beard talk has made me feel the need to grow at least the goatee back, the only facial hair I know I can actually grow without looking like I have some sort of skin disease.

She thanks all of you for your support ;)

and we thank her for putting up with an Xmarker in the house!

[ozmeath]

Nick I may give it another shot if I can fine a super fine hone. It's just for trimming 'round the throat but I got a pointy adam's apple and I Like the shape it is

[Colin]

Colin, can't really tell the color of the beard, but that is one cutie you have their in your hands. And in a matching kilted skirt as well. How old is she? She looks about 4, right between my 2 daughters.

Thanks. she actually just turned 3 this month. That was taken just before her 2nd birthday.

*not her real hair by the way

[Shay]

From a woman's standpoint- I tend to like a guy the way I fell for him. If my husband had had a beard when we met, I would sure miss it if he shaved it off. Since he didn't, I feel weird looking at him whenever he grows more than a few days of scruff. I guess you might feel the same way if your SO got a drastically different haircut AND color AND perm all at once...

[bubba]

Shay, when I met my wife I had a very full beard. One day I decided to shave it off and my wife has liked the smooth look better ever since. Of course, she does tell me that my beard is like barbed wire. As for her hair, I always tell her it's her hair, wear it however it's comfortable.